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Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Here's the "neutrality" (hey, have you ever neutered your dog???) scoop (something you need to shovel the "crap" thrown at us these days.)


https://www.theverge.com/23727238/net-neutrality-history-fcc-legislation
🐯

 HELP HELP--FCC is at it again --passed Net Neutrality last night--after 3 years, I am still alive and well but have a lot of catching up to do with this blog---Google closed my front-door access, but found back door.

Saturday, November 20, 2021

VOIP Phone Service (UPDATE on OOMA) 

1. What's VOIP Phone Service and why is it important in today's inflation?

  •  VOIP is Voice Over IP InternetProtocol/provider) There are many to choose from and you will need their special adapter (see previous Ooma posts from October 2018)

  • OOMA Adapters are about $70-$80 on sale 
    • Monthly as low as $6-$7 per month Basic Service  (USA/Canada unlimited long distance and covers the fees, taxes and 911). 

  • GOOGLE VOICE Adapter -- about same price on Amazon, but is very technical to keep up with and does not include 911 service. Also, support limited to one year and not easily reached.  I use it only as a backup.  

  • VONAGE--another VOiP service--tried it for a couple of months--more pricey/month with less minutes/month than Ooma and customer support iffy--but you get the adapter free (still have mine) but had trouble transporting my regular phone number out to Ooma)

 2. What are other advantages, other than price?
  • Saving all the fees and taxes that landlines or other services require--telcoms--such as the last we had was Century Link (taken over from US West) and the fees were $14/month--almost half of the plan we had which was basic, no long distance.
  • Portability of the Units--the Ooma and Google Voice adapter have Wi-Fi antenna so you can take the unit anywhere you can get Wi-Fi and are able to use your phone number wherever.
  • Can use your regular phone system -- such as one we have is a Panasonic base station with 5 handsets--has lasted over a decade. Great for conference phone calls with whole family.
  • Spam control--we can set up a contact list that Ooma uses to block calls not in your Contact list and either block them or send to voicemail (just in case it's someone you want to talk to not in your Contact List.)
  • WiFi seems more stable for the VoiP phones as Cell towers sometimes get trafficky and voice quality or access may not be reliable.

Friday, November 12, 2021

 AFTER 2 1/2 YEARS, RESURRECTING THIS BLOG AS THINGS IN THE INTERNET WORLD HEAT UP!!!!🗼

After May 2019, when my husband had a near-fatal tractor accident--the Old Farmall just backed right over him and with a lot of miracles, prayers and lots of help, short hospitalization, 11 cracked ribs and still now still keeping things going, then Covid hit, but that brought out the best (AND worst) in home internet and would like to catch up for those wondering what's happened in the world of wires and towers!

 Please note the Links to the right--some updates and some yet to be corrected, but there are new "kids on the block" and some oldies (but goodies) and we'll catch up with what's happening with those and the new stuff!

 

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Maybe Time for a Eulogy (Musical) for Century Link

Where is this all going for CL???  Here's today's Outage Report--IF it is truly Valid--how does this outfit stay alive--it's like a walking (not talking) Zombie--who's propping this up?  What about the FCC Investigation????

Again, CLICK HERE for a "clearer" view of this very foggy, hazy situation!

BUT--here's a dedicated song that sums up what we might be "singing" to CL --if they would only listen???

https://youtu.be/CVd-n3e7QLo  TELEPHONE LINE  by ELO



Pay attention especially to these lyrics and think CL...

"Hello, how are you? Have you been alright through all those lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely nights? ([Sure is lonely when the phones and internet don't work...]

  ....if you'd pick up that telephone [AND ANSWER CONSUMER COMPLAINTS]

...Are you still the same?  Don't you realize the things we did, we did, were all for real, not a dream?  [DREAM--seems like a dream and NOT real"]

 I just can't believe they've (CL) all faded out of view [ESPECIALLY on the news}


...Blue days, black nights....[that's what customers and employees probably have who depend on CL internet for their job, employment)

....love you need ain't gonna see you through [customer's love affair with CL is over--CL, you're not gonna see them again--they can't trust you anymore]

 ..why the little things you planned ain't comin' true--[like upgrading the speed, fixing consumer's problems,--yeah--those "little" things--ha, ha]

 ...give me some time, I'm living in twilight [Ooops, CL--we don't have any more time for you, customers are living in internet twilight--lights out]

....ring, ring, ring OK so no one's answering [CL Support].  well can't you just let it ring a little longer, longer, longer?  ...I'll just sit tight. [CL--are you kidding-- customers can't keep letting the phone ring and ring and ring--they will sit tight all right--on their pocket books.]

...let it ring forever more.   [Sure seems like forever since this continued outage report started up a month ago]

 .... Repeat as give me some time, I'm living in twilight [CL tells customers "Give me some time....]




 

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

UPDATE: Is CenturyLink STILL Having an Outage Right Now? Afraid so and almost 80% now

 What in the "world" (or should I say USA) is going on here?

Why not in SD?  PLEASE comment here if you think you know?

Is CenturyLink STILL Having an Outage Right Now?


Reports in last 20 minutes
  • Internet down - 79%
  • Everything is down - 11%
  • Landline problems - 5%
  • Internet speed issues - 5%
 

See if CenturyLink is down or having service issues today
Possible Issues at CenturyLink
Reports Dynamics
0246810121403 PM06 PM09 PMWed 0203 AM06 AM09 AM12 PM

Friday, December 28, 2018

Is CenturyLink Having an Outage Right Now? OH YES--abt 70%! But NOT YET in SD.

Is CenturyLink Having an Outage Right Now?

See if CenturyLink is down or having service issues today

 
Issues at CenturyLink
Reports Dynamics
010020030012 PM03 PM06 PM09 PMFri 2803 AM06 AM09 AM
CenturyLink Outage Map
    • Albuquerque, NM
    • Internet down
  • 1m
    • unknown
    • Everything is down
  • 2m
    • Denver, CO
    • Internet down
  • 3m
    • unknown
    • Everything is down
  • 5m
    • unknown
    • Internet down
  • 5m
    • Bonne Terre, MO
    • Landline problems
  • 5m
Discussion
Please don't call "support numbers" posted below — most probably it's a scam. Make sure to report and "downvote" such posts. Also don't post any of your personal information.

EXCLUSIVE-White House considers new year executive order to bar Huawei, ZTE

EXCLUSIVE-White House considers new year executive order to bar Huawei, ZTE purchases

 
by Reuters
Thursday, 27 December 2018 08:17 GMT

(Adds Chinese foreign ministry comment)
By David Shepardson and Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON, Dec 27 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is considering an executive order in the new year to declare a national emergency that would bar U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by China's Huawei and ZTE, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.
It would be the latest step by the Trump administration to cut Huawei Technologies Cos Ltd and ZTE Corp , two of China's biggest network equipment companies, out of the U.S. market. The United States alleges that the two companies work at the behest of the Chinese government and that their equipment could be used to spy on Americans.
The executive order, which has been under consideration for more than eight months, could be issued as early as January and would direct the Commerce Department to block U.S. companies from buying equipment from foreign telecommunications makers that pose significant national security risks, sources from the telecoms industry and the administration said.
While the order is unlikely to name Huawei or ZTE, a source said it is expected that Commerce officials would interpret it as authorization to limit the spread of equipment made by the two companies. The sources said the text for the order has not been finalized.
The executive order would invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that gives the president the authority to regulate commerce in response to a national emergency that threatens the United States.
The issue has new urgency as U.S. wireless carriers look for partners as they prepare to adopt next generation 5G wireless networks.
The order follows the passage of a defense policy bill in August that barred the U.S. government itself from using Huawei and ZTE equipment.
China's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that she did not want to comment on the order as it had not been officially confirmed.
"It's best to let facts speak for themselves when it comes to security problems," Hua said.
"Some countries have, without any evidence, and making use of national security, tacitly assumed crimes to politicize, and even obstruct and restrict, normal technology exchange activities," she added.
"This in reality is undoubtedly shutting oneself off, rather than being the door to openness, progress and fairness."
Huawei and ZTE did not return requests for comment. Both in the past have denied allegations their products are used to spy. The White House also did not return a request for comment.
The Wall Street Journal first reported in early May that the order was under consideration, but it was never issued.

HIT TO RURAL NETWORKS

[I am told that SpeedConnect relies on this equipment, while certain other Wireless companies DO NOT]
Rural operators in the United States are among the biggest customers of Huawei and ZTE, and fear the executive order would also require them to rip out existing Chinese-made equipment without compensation. Industry officials are divided on whether the administration could legally compel operators to do that.
While the big U.S. wireless companies have cut ties with Huawei in particular, small rural carriers have relied on Huawei and ZTE switches and other equipment because they tend to be less expensive.
The company is so central to small carriers that William Levy, vice president for sales of Huawei Tech USA, is on the board of directors of the Rural Wireless Association.
The RWA represents carriers with fewer than 100,000 subscribers. It estimates that 25 percent of its members had Huawei or ZTE equipment in their networks, it said in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month.
The RWA is concerned that an executive order could force its members to remove ZTE and Huawei equipment and also bar future purchases, said Caressa Bennet, RWA general counsel.
It would cost $800 million to $1 billion for all RWA members to replace their Huawei and ZTE equipment, Bennet said.
Separately, the FCC in April granted initial approval to a regulation that bars giving federal funding to help pay for telecommunication infrastructure to companies that purchase equipment from firms deemed as a threat to U.S. national security, which analysts have said is aimed at Huawei and ZTE.
The FCC is also considering whether to require carriers to remove and replace equipment from firms deemed a national security risk.
In March, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said "hidden 'back doors' to our networks in routers, switches — and virtually any other type of telecommunications equipment - can provide an avenue for hostile governments to inject viruses, launch denial-of-service attacks, steal data, and more."
In the December filing, Pine Belt Communications in Alabama estimated it would cost $7 million to $13 million to replace its Chinese-made equipment, while Sagebrush in Montana said replacement would cost $57 million and take two years.
Sagebrush has noted that Huawei products are significantly cheaper. When looking for bids in 2010 for its network, it found the cost of Ericsson equipment to be nearly four times the cost of Huawei. (Reporting by Diane Bartz and David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Christian Shepherd in BEIJING; Editing by Chris Sanders, Leslie Adler & Shri Navaratnam)

Thursday, October 25, 2018

'Twisted' fibre optic light breakthrough could make internet 100 times faster

 NOTE--this describes the old style "wired" fibernet--in the Australia--still fibernet and copper to the home--pretty obsolete in this country.

See the original article here--
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/24/twisted-fibre-optic-light-breakthrough-could-make-internet-100-times-faster

Researchers say they have developed tiny readers that can detect information in light spirals
Researchers from RMIT say they have developed a detector the width of a human hair to replace existing dining table-sized readers. 
A new development in fibre optics could make internet speeds up to 100 times faster – by detecting light that has been twisted into a spiral.
The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, can be used to easily upgrade existing networks and significantly boost efficiency, scientists say.
Fibre optic cables use pulses of light to transmit information, but currently information can only be stored through the colour of the light, and whether the wave is horizontal or vertical.
By twisting light into a spiral, engineers effectively create a third dimension for light to carry information: the level of orbital angular momentum, or spin. “It’s like DNA, if you look at the double helix spiral,” said Min Gu from RMIT University. “The more you can use angular momentum the more information you can carry.”
Researchers in the US had previously created a fibre that could twist light, but Gu’s team is the first to create a reasonable-size detector that can read the information it holds.
Previous detectors were “the size of a dining table”, but the new detector is the width of a human hair. “We could produce the first chip that could detect this twisting and display it for mobile application,” Gu said.
The technology could be used to upgrade fibre optic networks like Australia’s national broadband network – although controversy still dogs the decision to reduce the scheme’s use of fibre optics in favour of copper wire.
NBN Co is on schedule to complete the network by 2020. However, the rollout represents a downgrade on the initial plan – put forward by Labor – that would have installed fibre optic cables directly into homes (known as fibre to the premises).
Instead, many households have received fibre to the node – which is cheaper but produces slower speeds. For fibre to the node, optic fibre cable only runs as far as a central point in the neighbourhood, and copper wire connects that node to each home.
Original ADSL connections use an average of 2.5km of copper wire per connection, fibre to the node uses 500 metres, fibre to the curb uses 30 metres, and fibre-to-the-premises uses none.
In January, NBN Co admitted that three out of four customers with fibre-to-the-node would not be able to access the NBN’s top speed tier.
The CEO, Stephen Rue, revealed plans to increase the number of premises with fibre to the curb, which uses less copper than fibre-to-the-node.
Gu said his new research could still work with networks with large amounts of copper wire.
“We will definitely reduce this hurdle,” he said. “We will make this transfer more efficient.”
However, because the new cables are required to effectively twist light, any upgrade could involve replacing existing fibre networks.
By 2020, NBN Co estimates that 4.6m homes will have fibre to the node, 1.4m will have fibre to the curb, and 2m will have fibre to the premises.
A spokesman said the network was “prepared for future demand”, but advances like those demonstrated at RMIT would need further acceptance before they were operationally ready.
“New communications technologies are continually being tested in labs many years in advance of being commercialised. They require widespread acceptance from equipment manufacturers and network operators before they are ready for operational deployment.”

Monday, October 8, 2018

UPDATE to Ooma Phone System (Internet based) from 20 Feb 2018--911 Test and Special 4 DAY Price

So, I found a great buy on the Ooma at Costco -- with built-in Wi-Fi and a handset--it's a relatively good deal at $89.  Go to https://www.costco.com/.product.100404941.html?&EMID=B2C_2018_1008_4DaysOnly

 BUT 4 DAYS ONLY--ENDS OCTOBER 11--that's WEDNESDAY!!!

Ooma had a learning curve and has a few idiosyncrasies but all in all has been reliable (more so than the previous AT&T Base station and much less expensive).  When our very reliable and advanced Rural internet system has an outage (very infrequently and doesn't last long) we use a T Mobile Hotspot which is really useless for most internet--except mobile--usage.  It has perhaps 9 mBs Download and has deteriorated to barely 1 mbs Upload--so be aware of the future of all these 4G cellular hot spots.  We use it only as a backup also due to high cost of monthly usage and cap on usage is insanely low--but so is AT&T, Verizon, etc.

911 TEST:  Due to a neighbor's issues with using 911 with a cell phone, decided to test the Ooma, and our 2 smartphones as to whether  or how fast they connected to 911 and showed our correct phone number and location to the 911 Operator in our County.

We were pleasantly surprised at these results:

Ooma with our backup T Mobile hot spot--after a number of rings, reached County Emergency system--reported back the correct phone number and location (Oooma also sends emails for 911 alerts) 

Oooma with our regular Broadband Wi-Fi service--After fewer rings than with the T Mobile Hotspot, also reached the County Emergency system, which reported back the correct phone number and location as above.

AT&T Samsung Smart Phone--after several rings (fewer than with the Ooma), reached 911 County Emergency operator who reported back correct phone number and same location as above.

T Mobile LG smartphone--after only 1 ring, reached the correct 911 County Emergency operator who reported back correct phone number and location.

 This needs to be qualified by not knowing whether we would get the same results in another location away from home, as sure that cell tower pings, etc may affect location, etc.  

Phones themselves seem to make a difference (brand, settings). Ooma is portable, but prefer not to have to take a bulky Ooma, home phone along when more compact cell phones do the same thing--including calls on wi-fi.  

We rarely use our prepaid cell phones at home and when on the road and take the T Mobile Hotspot (we were grandfathered into the $10/month for 2 gB) and use the Ooma app, Hangouts, Google phone to make calls).  Guess what!  We pay less than $50/year for the prepaid Cell usage--both phones!

 

 

5G Network Uses Same EMF Waves as Pentagon Crowd Control System

5G Network Uses Same EMF Waves as Pentagon Crowd Control System



By Terrence Newton
The global rollout of 5G is well underway, and we soon may see new small cell towers near all schools, on every residential street, dispersed throughout the natural environment, and pretty much everywhere. But the safety of this technology is in serious question, and there is a raging battle to stop the taxpayer funded implementation of 5G.

The new cell network uses high-band radio frequency millimeter waves to deliver high bandwidth data to any device within line of sight.
Today’s cellular and Wi-Fi networks rely on microwaves – a type of electromagnetic radiation utilizing frequencies up to 6 gigahertz (GHz) in order to wirelessly transmit voice or data. However, 5G applications will require unlocking of new spectrum bands in higher frequency ranges above 6 GHz to 100 GHz and beyond, utilizing submillimeter and millimeter waves – to allow ultra-high rates of data to be transmitted in the same amount of time as compared with previous deployments of microwave radiation. [Source]
One of the ways 5G will enable this is by tapping into new, unused bands at the top of the radio spectrum. These high bands are known as millimeter waves (mmwaves), and have been recently been opened up by regulators for licensing. They’ve largely been untouched by the public, since the equipment required to use them effectively has typically been expensive and inaccessible. [Source]
Among the many potential problems with exposure to 5G radio waves are issues with the skin, which is interesting when you consider that this technology is already being used in the military for crowd control purposes.
This kind of technology, which is in many of our homes, actually interacts with human skin and eyes. The shocking finding was made public via Israeli research studies that were presented at an international conference on the subject last year. Below you can find a lecture from Dr. Ben-Ishai of the Department of Physics at Hebrew University. He goes through how human sweat ducts act like a number of helical antennas when exposed to these wavelengths that are put out by the devices that employ 5G technology. [Source]
The U.S. military developed a non-lethal crowd control weapon system called the Active Denial System (ADS). It uses radio frequency millimeter waves in the 95GHz range to penetrate the top 1/64 of an inch layer of skin on the targeted individual, instantly producing an intolerable heating sensation that causes them to flee.

This video demonstrates: Go to https://youtu.be/KEhmFp-Gvyc

This technology is becoming ubiquitous in top world militaries, demonstrating how genuinely effective this radio frequency energy can be at causing harm to humans and anything else.
U.S., Russian, and Chinese defense agencieshave been active in developing weapons that rely on the capability of this electromagnetic technology to create burning sensations on the skin, for crowd control. The waves are Millimetre waves, also used by the U.S. Army in crowd dispersal guns called Active Denial Systems. [Source]

Final Thoughts

The fight over 5G is heating up at the community level, and awareness of this important issue is spreading fast. For more background on 5G, watch this video from Take Back Your Power, featuring Tom Wheeler, Former FCC Chairman and corporate lobbyist, who delivers a rather intimidating and presumptuous speech praising this new technology. The fight over 5G is heating up at the community level, though, and now is the time to speak out against it.

SEE THIS VIDEO: https://youtu.be/OMxfffqyDtc

Read more articles from Terence Newton.
Terence Newton is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com, interested primarily with issues related to science, the human mind, and human consciousness.
This article (5G Network Uses Same EMF Waves as Pentagon Crowd Control System) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Terence Newton and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement.

Friday, October 5, 2018

Rural Broadband Hearing Link for Oct 4 Thune Hearing in DC

253 Russell
U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing titled “Broadband: Opportunities and Challenges in Rural America,”at 10:00 a.m. on October 4, 2018. This hearing allows the Committee, as part of its ongoing efforts, to assess the progress of broadband deployment in rural America and continue to explore ways in which closing the digital divide will benefit American jobs and the economy.
Witnesses:

  • Mr. Godfrey Enjady, General Manager, Mescalero Apache Telecom, Inc.
  • Mr. Denny Law, General Manager and CEO, Golden West Telecommunications
  • Ms. Mona Thompson, General Manager, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Telephone Authority
  • Mr. Grant Spellmeyer, Vice President, Federal Affairs and Public Policy, U.S. Cellular Corp.
*Witness list subject to change.
Hearing Details:
Thursday, October 4, 2018
10:00 a.m.
Full Committee 

This hearing will take place in Russell Senate Office Building, Room 253. Witness testimony, opening statements, and a live video of the hearing will be available on www.commerce.senate.gov.



Witness Panel 1